Cream Puffs

Pastry Cream 

(adapted from http://glutenfreecanteen.com/2011/04/11/canteen-cream-puffs-custard-filled-gluten-free/)

2 cups whole milk

1/3 cup of superfine sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons corn starch, sifted

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Bring the milk and vanilla bean paste to a small simmer in a saucepan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to combine.

When the milk has simmered, scoop about a ¼ cup of the very hot milk and while whisking add it to the egg mixture to temper the yolks.  Pour the remaining milk in while whisking. Pour mixture into the saucepan used for the milk. Heat on low and keep stirring until it starts to bubble.

Cook (and stir) for about two-three more minutes.  Adjust the burner heat so it doesn’t burn. If you’re really worried about the mixture scorching – use a double boiler.

Once thick, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.  Leave for about five minutes off heat and then stir in the butter. Cool using an ice bath. Cover and refrigerate to chill.

Pate a Choux 

(adapted from http://chocolatechiptrips.blogspot.com/2010/05/daring-bakers-piece-montee.html)

Yield: About 28

¾ cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

To prepare batter: Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

 

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes. It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

To Pipe:
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe the choux about 1 inch-apart on the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top. Brush tops with milk.

To Bake:
Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 18 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

To Fill:
Using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Freeze cream puffs so that the filling won’t spill out. Before consuming, take cream puffs out of the freezer and let them thaw for about 20 – 30 minutes.

Totoro Cream Puffs (inspired by http://www.annathered.com/2009/04/07/how-to-make-totoro-cream-puffs/)

Make pastry cream.

Make batter for choux pastry.

To Pipe: Pipe the batter onto a baking sheet to make a peanut-shaped body for the Totoros. Pipe two lines for the ears. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. Brush tops with milk.

Continue following directions to bake and fill.

After freezing the Totoro cream puffs pipe eyes onto them using buttercream frosting, white icing, or white chocolate. Freeze until set. Using a toothpick, place a dot of melted dark chocolate onto each eye to make pupils. Add a nose and whiskers.

Garlic Roasted Potato Skins

Garlic Roasted Potato Skins Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine

3 pounds russet (baking) potatoes (6 to 8 medium; preferably organic) 1 small head garlic (2 inches in diameter) 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Serving Suggestion: Onion and spinach dip, recipe follows Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prick each potato once or twice with a fork. Cut off and discard top fourth of garlic head; then wrap garlic tightly in foil. Bake garlic and potatoes on same rack in lower third of oven until potatoes are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove potatoes from oven and cool on a metal rack 15 minutes. Continue to bake garlic until tender, about 15 minutes more, then cool in foil on rack. While garlic cools, halve potatoes lengthwise, then quarter each half (to form short wedges). Scoop out potato flesh (reserving it for another use), leaving 1/4-inch-thick potato skins. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Squeeze garlic into a small bowl, discarding garlic skins, and mash to a paste with butter, salt, and pepper using a fork. Divide garlic paste among potato skins (about 1/2 teaspoon each), spreading evenly, then roast skins in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Potato skins can be scooped out and spread with garlic paste (but not baked) 1 day ahead and chilled, loosely covered with foil. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Austrian Raspberry Shortbread

(Adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/austrian-raspberry-shortbread/ )

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 cups granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless raspberry jam, at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Add the vanilla.

Mix the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter and egg yolk mixture and mix just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (or as long as a month, if you like).

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it by hand or with the grating disk in a food processor into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough.

With a piping bag with a wide tip or a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off, squeeze the jam over the surface as evenly as possible, to within 1/2 inch of the edge all the way around. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface.

Bake until lightly golden brown and the center no longer wiggles, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar and cut in the pan with a serrated knife.

Cinnamon Sugar Puff Cupcakes

Cinnamon Sugar Puff Cupcakes  (From Cupcakes! By Elinor Klivans)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until blended and creamy, about one minute. Beat in the egg, mixing until smooth and thick. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with about three tablespoons of batter, to about ½ inch below the top. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the coating. Put the melted butter in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, stir the sugar and cinnamon together.

Remove baking cups from the cupcakes and coat the cupcakes with melted butter. Roll the cupcakes in the cinnamon-sugar and coat completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to two days.

Makes 12.

Pastry Cream Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

¾ cup pastry cream (the kind with whipped cream folded into it)

½ milk + more to make the batter thinner

2 tablespoons canola oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour the egg, pastry cream, milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract into the well. Stir batter until everything is combined. If necessary, add milk as needed to make the batter thinner.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake onto the pan and cook until the bottom is a light brown color. Flip the pancake and cook briefly on the other side until it is brown as well.

No Need to Knead Bread

Recipe from Laurel, who brought it back with her from New Zealand

6 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon yeast

3 ¼ cups water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast. Add water and stir until dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for 12 – 18 hours.

Preheat an oven to 425F. Before baking the dough, place a dutch oven inside the oven for 30 minutes. Fold the dough over itself a couple times before coating it well with flour. Put the dough into the dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on and then 15 minutes with the lid off.

Pesto Bread

(adapted from http://www.cookingbread.com/classes/class_pesto_bread.html)

1 cup warm milk (110F)

1 tablespoons sugar

½ tablespoon dry active yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ tablespoon salt

2 ½ -- 3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup pesto

½ cup grated Parmesan + extra to sprinkle on top

In a large bowl combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for ten minutes.

Add the olive oil and salt.

Add in a cup of flour and beat with a wooden spoon till smooth. Add in another cup of flour and do the same. Now, sprinkle a half cup of flour onto a flat surface and pour out the dough on top. Begin to knead and slowly add in more flour till the dough no longer sticks to the table. Knead for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Add a little olive oil to a large bowl (about a tablespoon ). Place the kneaded dough into the bowl and turn over a few times to lightly coat all sides of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour or till double in bulk.

Pour out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to a 9 x 14 rectangle. Spread the pesto on top of the dough and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bring in the side by a half inch and then roll the dough like a jelly roll.

Pinch the seam closed. Take a sharp knife and cut the dough down the center length wise.

Open the jelly roll exposing the inside of the roll. Take the two cut pieces and braid them together with the cut side always facing up.

Place the bread into a greased 4 ½ x 8 inch loaf pan. (I used a 9-inch springform pan) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour or till double in bulk. Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan cheese and place into a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Check the bread about 10 minutes before they are finished to see if you need to cover with tin foil if they are getting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.